


The Night(s) of Spectacularity and Amazing Magic

by Sagittae



Series: The BAU's AUs [1]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Gen, Roleplay, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, gen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-06
Updated: 2016-06-06
Packaged: 2018-07-12 15:19:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7111042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sagittae/pseuds/Sagittae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <b>[Dungeons and Dragons AU]</b>
</p><p>With the team back together and tension bubbling beneath the surface, Garcia refuses to wait any longer to take action. She needs an idea that will bring the group closer and rekindle the strong bonds that were once there.</p><p>It's Garcia's birthday, and what does she want to do to celebrate? Play Dungeons and Dragons with the rest of the team, of course.</p><p>  <i>"Penelope wasn’t going to sit and watch her family be torn apart from the inside, not after they had fought so hard to keep each other together. She was willing to do whatever it took – even if it meant that she had to be crafty and get them all to agree to play a fantasy role-playing game."</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	The Night(s) of Spectacularity and Amazing Magic

**Author's Note:**

> Before I start raving about other things, this first chapter is meant to really develop the concept of the story before we start delving into the plot. Also, this fic takes place sometime in Season 7 if not only for the reason being that I have not seen beyond mid-season 7. I apologize in advance for any grammatical/spelling errors you may find, as it is quite late where I am. 
> 
> This is my first CM fic, and while I told myself that I wouldn't go crazy with the alternate universes and weird ideas, here we are, haha. For this story, I surprised myself and decided to go with Garcia's POV, which is odd since I haven't practiced writing Penelope at all. I can only hope from here that I do her character (and the others) justice. And if any of you are curious, the team is playing D&D 5e.
> 
> With that said, I hope you enjoy!

“Are you sure that _this_ is what you wanna be doing for your birthday, baby girl?” Derek asked for the third time that night. He and the rest of the team were seated around a large round table each with a file and a set of dice in front of them. Various snack trays sat in the center of them while bottles of beer and a few empty wine glasses were scattered about.  
 

Penelope sent him a half-hearted glare, but she wore a smug look, nonetheless. “Yes _,_ angel face, this is _exactly_ what I want to do. I’ve been dreaming of this night for years.”  
  


“You’ve been dreaming of playing Dungeons and Dragons with us for years?” JJ asked a bit incredulously, but she still wore a smile at her friend’s enthusiasm.  
 

“Of course! It’s more fun with a big group. Plus, I haven’t been the Dungeon Master for so long! Kevin’s always DM whenever we play with his friends,” Penelope explained while setting herself up behind a large divider. Part of her was a bit nervous at the thought of being responsible for so many people, fictional or not.  
 

“‘Dungeon Master’?” Emily repeated.  
 

“Yep,” she confirmed, popping the ‘p’ of her reply. Then she gathered her courage and told them all proudly, “Not only do I control the other creepy, or not-so creepy creatures, but I will be your guide for tonight’s escapade.”  
 

“What exactly are we doing on this ‘escapade’?” Rossi inquired curiously as he studied one of the dice between his fingers. “And why does this dice have so many numbers on it?”  
 

Reid piped up, “That’s a twenty-sided die, also known as a D20. Dungeons and Dragons has been using the D20 dice system since the third edition of the game came out in 2000. The die can be used during combat or out of combat for attacks, skill checks, or defensive rolls.”  
 

Penelope continued the long-winded answer from there, her tone conveying the amount of excitement bubbling within her. “You see, my fine Italian friend, Dungeons and Dragons is not just _any_ game. Here, you can get into the minds of your characters and perform feats that can only exist in dreams. There’s monsters and magic and awesome creatures to encounter.”  
 

“So, what’s in these files?” Hotch asked suddenly from across the table, out of his usual suit-and-tie, and wearing a casual button down instead.  
 

Normally, Hotch wouldn’t attend these small social events with the group just because there was always so much work to do and he had Jack at home. However, he had explained that his son was staying at a friend’s house for the night, so Penelope took that opportunity to attempt to persuade the man to attend her party one last time. They had all been stunned when the Unit Chief had agreed to come, especially since she had invited him using the words, “night of spectacularity and amazing magic.”  
 

“That, my liege, will be revealed in just a moment,” Penelope replied.  
 

Both Hotch and Prentiss exchanged pointed looks with one another, but turned their attention back towards the analyst, who now donned a dark cloak and she pulled the hood over her head.  
 

* * *

_“Welcome, adventures, to the Sacred Sky Islands of Almerath. You each have been called upon this quest not only for your skill, but your unique connection to the lands, as well. Your journey shall start in the small town of Jericho on the northern island of Kanti. There, your group will assemble and introductions will be made before you all are to decide what to do next.”_

* * *

  
“Wait, wait. What’s ‘Almerath’?” Derek questioned, leaning over the table to make sure he didn’t miss anything. This surprised her a bit.  
 

As much as she loved Derek, he was a bit of a jock and he wasn’t really in to the things that she and Reid (and sometimes Emily if they managed to convince her to join them) often bonded over. She half expected him to be completely unengaged with the game. It shocked her to see that he was listening to her intently and even writing down a few things on the notepads that she had provided everyone with.  
 

“It’s the name of the dungeon,” Penelope answered before clapping her hands together. “Okay! Now if you will all open your files, you’ll find a list of premade characters all created by yours truly. Choose one to play as and I will give you their full file.”  
  


It was then that she pulled a stack of papers from her bag and waved them around in the air. A few unsure glances were shared around the room before each member of the group flipped open the manila folders in front of them.  
 

“Do none of these characters have names?” Prentiss asked as she flipped through the pages of player backgrounds in her hands.  
 

“Nope! I figured you crime-fighters would want to choose your own. The only thing there is the backstories, class, and race.” Penelope put a finger up, “If I may suggest profile numero uno for you, my sweet.”  
 

Emily glanced back down and read the small paragraph concerning the profile. Her brow rose at the first sentence, but Penelope was pleased when she saw her friend’s mouth curve into a line of approval.  
 

“ _This is a female, Elven ranger who stalks the woodlands of Almerath and is a mercenary for hire. Her skills with a bow stem from her strict upbringing in her home tribe, where she was once an Elven princess. Not wanting to be roped into an unhappy marriage and abhorring the thought of being tied to one place for the rest of her life, she fled from her people to start a new life of adventure and to discard the scum of the lands.”_  
  


“Hey, that sounds just like you, Princess,” Derek grinned at his partner beside him.  
 

Emily shot him a withered glance but it faded once she turned towards the blonde, “I think I’ll take this one, Pen.”  
 

Penelope cheered, “Great! Okay, what are you gonna call yourself, Em?”  
  


At this, Prentiss faltered. She seemed to be in deep thought for a few seconds. “Can I just call her Emily?” The brunette asked sheepishly.  
 

“You can call your super badass Elven character anything you want, and you want to stick with 'Emily'?”  
 

“I’m not the best with names…” The dark-haired woman admitted.  
 

JJ teased, “That’s true. Don’t forget about her cat, Sergio…”  
 

Prentiss protested indignantly, “What’s wrong with Sergio?”  
  


“Nothing, as long as you’re fine with having an eighties cat,” Derek smirked.  
 

“They may be right, Emily. You originally wanted to name him Spock,” Reid pointed out.  
 

“Hey – not a word out of you! Don’t think I haven’t caught those Doctor Who comic books in your work bag,” Prentiss threw an accusing finger at him.  
 

“You said you didn’t see anything!”  
 

If she had been with anyone else, Penelope would have been worried over the amount of bickering that was occurring. However, this was her family, and she knew that everything being said was all good-natured… Mostly. If anything, she was glad that they were all being so light-hearted. Perhaps it was the change in scenery that allowed them all to act a bit less stiff around one another.  
 

“I think I want to be number five,” Rossi said decisively, obviously not letting the bantering disrupt his thoughts. Penelope had to envy that about the older man; he always seemed to be able to keep his composure, whether it was when staring down an Unsub, or dealing with rowdy co-workers.  
  


She checked her list, “Ooh, a water Genasi mage. A good choice. Now what about a name for you?”  
 

“Ravid.”  
 

“... Isn’t that just your first and last name combined?”  
 

“Yep.”  
 

Emily mumbled after taking a sip of her beer. “And you guys were giving me shit for Emily…”  
  


“I’ll choose eight,” JJ said, finalizing her choice.  
 

“Twelve for me.”  
 

“I want three.”  
 

Penelope grinned and began handing out files, “Okay, we shall add a half-Elven cleric, a Halfling druid, and a Goliath weapon master to our posse. All perfectly fine decisions. Names?”  
 

“All right… What’s a name that sounds tough?”  
 

Reid corrected Morgan instantly, “You know, a name can’t really _sound_ tough. Most of the feeling we associate with names stems from hearing them in public with either a negative or positive connotation. Though, if you’re looking for a name that literally translates into ‘strong’, you can go with Latin based names like Fortis, Robustus –.”  
 

“Kid, I’m _not_ naming my character _Robustus_.”  
 

“But it means ‘sturdy’ and ‘stout’—.”  
 

“No.”  
 

“I want to call her Rosaline,” JJ interjected quietly.  
 

While most of the men didn’t know about JJ’s sister, both Penelope and Emily had been through enough emotional girls’ nights to know the hidden meaning behind the name. Since then, JJ had been more comfortable when speaking of her sibling, but Penelope could tell that it was still a sore subject. She didn’t want the others to be concerned, so she reached under the table and grabbed her friend’s hand.  
 

“I think that’s a wonderful name,” Penelope told her and she could feel JJ’s fingers squeeze her own as the woman nodded with a smile.  
 

The moment passed as soon as Derek decided on his character’s title. “I’ll call him Jones.”  
 

“Oh, come on!” Emily must have still been upset about the name thing.  
 

“Jones is a legit name.”  
 

The two began to go back and forth, causing Penelope to sigh and instead she looked to Reid. “What about you, Boy Wonder?”  
 

“Hmm… I think I’ll go with 'Henry'.”  
 

JJ gasped, “Aww, Spence! He’ll be so excited when I tell him you named a hero after him.”  
  


The younger man stared down at his hands, “Well, technically we haven’t really done anything yet that warrants us being called ‘heroes’, but…” He drifted off and began to fiddle with the end of one of her sparkly pens.  
 

Penelope didn’t miss the slight blush on his cheeks and locked it away in her mind to be referred to on another day. “Perfect! Now how about you, my fearless leader?”  
 

All eyes shot towards Hotch, who had been studying the character sheet intently for some time now. He brought his gaze up when he felt the stares of his colleagues, and at first, Penelope wasn’t sure if he would want to continue to participate, finding the activity to be too outlandish for him.  
 

She was pleasantly surprised, for the third time that day, when Hotch set the paper down on the table and said, “Nine.”  
 

“The human dragon knight!” Penelope was thrilled at the variety of different races and classes in their party. “It certainly suits you, sir.”  
 

“Penelope, you don’t have to call me 'sir' outside of the office. Especially not on your birthday,” Hotch told her with a small smile. “And it’s fairly obvious that you are the one running the show here, not me.”  
 

Penelope grinned, “Thank you, s—, I mean – Hotch.”  
  


She loved when she got to witness what their Unit Chief acted like beyond the BAU. She had seen the man interacting with his son, and she thought that they were absolutely adorable together. Beyond those seated at the table, not many people knew that Hotch had a softer side behind the stoic, professional mask he wore in front of others on the job.  
 

“Did you have a name in mind for your character?”  
  


He nodded, “'Hotch.'”  
 

The room was quiet for a moment until JJ snickered, “Never mind, Em. You might actually be okay.”  
  


Emily threw up her hands. “Thank you!”  
  


“Hotch, you can’t call your character the same name.”  
 

“Prentiss was able to keep her name,” he pointed out.  
 

“Fine! Hotch, Em, both of you choose different names!” Penelope was not going to spend all night arguing about what their character’s should be called. She wanted to delve into the dungeon before it got too late and she noticed that it was already past eight.  
 

“ _Tonight_ , please, you two,” Rossi mocked impatience, but everyone knew that out of everyone there, he was probably the best at staying level-headed aside from Hotch.  
 

Emily groaned but quickly settled on a tag for herself. “Arwen.”  
 

“Isn’t that from Lord of the Rings—?” Reid inquired.  
 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Emily deflected poorly.  
 

“It’s okay, Em. We all know you’re a super geek on the inside,” Penelope gave her a sympathetic look before addressing Hotch. “All you, Bossman.”  
 

Penelope nearly burst out laughing at the expression of complete concentration and seriousness that he wore. Instead she got the attention of Derek, who sat beside her, causing him to almost choke on his beer. This sent a small wave of chuckles and snickers throughout the group.  
 

A few more moments passed, then Hotch said, “Kent.”  
 

“As in Clark Kent?” Penelope wondered.  
 

The Unit Chief shrugged. “He’s Jack’s favorite superhero right now.”  
  


Penelope made a note of this all on a piece of blue stationery (even the little fact about Jack’s superhero preference. She would have to remember that next time she went toy shopping.) then she placed her notepad on the side of her guide books and information folders. After jotting down a few last minute items, she took in a deep breath.  
  


She could feel the anticipation bubble within her and she had to force herself to make sure to keep her composure. As much as this night was about having a good time, Penelope had one mission, and one mission only: to reconnect everyone as much as possible.  
  


Interactions had been going fairly smoothly in terms of the job and out in the field, but outside of work, it was completely different. There were still little gatherings and after-hour bar outings, but something just seemed to be missing. Relations in the team had been a bit strained ever since Emily came back from the dead. Sure, they all talked and joked with one another, but it wasn't as free-spirited as before. In no way, shape, or form was she blaming Prentiss for the tension amongst the team, but given their situation and all that had happened to them over the course of the years, there was bound to be some unresolved issues hiding underneath them. It just took Prentiss’s return to unearth the demons that had been waiting in the dark.  
  


But if there was something that being alone all those years as a rogue hacker had taught her, it was that she didn’t want to ever go back to a life like that. Penelope wasn’t going to sit and watch her family be torn apart from the inside, not after they had fought so hard to keep each other together. She was willing to do whatever it took – even if it meant that she had to be crafty and get them all to agree to play a fantasy role-playing game.  
  


Penelope cleared her throat, then put on a bright smile, “Alrighty, my butt-kicking badasses. I think we’re ready to officially begin.”

**Author's Note:**

> Would you like more details on the game itself? Do you think different characters should have a chance to speak more? Please let me know what you think or if I should add anything!


End file.
